Ive looked over the door panel, with the door closed because it will not open. and i see one bolt near the power windows and locks controls, it like holds the armrest on, and i see another bolt, way up near the dash, but i cant get that one off, because its squezed between the door and car....i dont know how else to get the panel off, i bought a haynes repair manual, and they talk about taking the door panel off but it doesnt include it with the door locked closed.... do you guys know of any web sites with specific instructions on my problem for a bonneville....I could take it too my auto mechanic, and spend $60 like it did on the other door....any more suggestions, thanks again...

You saw the bolt where the locks are when you took off that plastic plate? Look where the lock would go(plastic bezel piece fits over it)try to move that back and forth w/some grease and just play w/it moving it back and forth alot, to work in the grease. That might give it enough play to open it up.
Mine were so stuck I almost bent the metal tab!! W/a little grease it was fine!

I also have a 91 and have had the same exact problem with mine. What is odd is that the only time it seems to happen is if the doors are locked and someone tries to open it from the outside, then I unlock it with the key, the damn door does nothing. Outside button pushes in but it does NOTHING.

Now here the more weird thing about it. Once I get in the car, I lock the doors with the power lock switch(doesn't matter which one), and I drive around for awhile. After a time, guess what the door is fixed. Explain that, lol.

So really I guess I can't really help you, but just tell you what works for me. As long as I and my family members are careful not to try and open a locked door they work great.

Cobra

I currently have a 1991 SSE- but I haven't had this problem yet on this one - but I did on my '89. The SSE seems prone to lock failure- not as badly as the SE or LE'* . If the door stops working- lubricating the existing latch is only a band-aid solution, it will seize again. The only option is to replace the entire latch- easy to do. They can be easily obtained from any wrecking yard- the same latch can also be found on the Buick Le Sabre, Park Avenue, Olds 88, 98 and ofcourse the LE and SE models. Before you install the new latch- coat each spring with bearing grease and all moving parts in the assembly. I guarantee after doing this you will never have door problems again. But don't use the latch off of any model older than 89. THe 88 and 87 latches are different (learned this the hard way My '89 SSE didn't have any door problems for 4 years when everything finally went @483,000km. :? So I got a 91' which is still under construction. Many MODS already. E-mail me for any info- I have helped many others.